SNOW!!

We had our first snow of the year and it made me wonder how driverless cars will deal with snow especially as I hate driving in it and they might solve my fears of driving in it.

I would expect all driverless cars in the future to have a range of options including 4×4 as standard in order that they can cater for any circumstances that they might meet.

But one of the main problems is that cars before setting off will need to have gathered weather forecasts for the journey and we all know exactly how un-reliable weather forecasts can be The only correct weather  forecast is the one you made by looking out of the window.

So how will a driverless car know which weather forecast is the most reliable of the unreliable ones to use.

You could find that if the driverless car relies on weather forecast to make a decision on whether to undertake a journey or not you may end up in a position if for example there is a forecast of 4 feet of snow with the car refusing to move even though you know the forecast is wrong.  You could end up having to find an alternative means of travel because the car says “NO”.

On the flip side though you may have reached your destination only to find out the weather forecast was wrong ,we all remember  Michael Fish ,and this tie you are left in a position where the car refuses to drive you home, so you are stuck. Obviously the car will be able to drive itself home when it thinks it is OK but you again find yourself needing  to make alternative arrangements because the car says “NO”

Usually whenever it snows the side street rat runs are abandoned for use of the main roads, so it will be interesting to see if driverless cars will still choose to still use these side roads or whether it will play safe like drivers currently do.

Although driverless cars will be seen by many as their answer to getting about in the snow they will still have to deal with the idiots not in driverless cars who have no idea how to drive in the conditions and clog roads up unnecessarily.

 It will also be interesting waking up to find your driverless car under 4 feet of snow  and minus 10 outside whether it will it still be working or whether it will it have switched everything off in eager anticipation of having an automotive duvet day.

On my way to work I walk through student areas and invariably any cars dusted with a light covering of snow will have had a set of cock and balls etched out in the snow covered windscreen. Driverless cars though will need to work out that this symbol is humorous prank rather than a warning message. You can image the delight on a driverless car programmers face when being told that their next assignment is programming the driverless car to recognise and ignore any cock and balls drawn on its windscreen whilst it is covered in snow. It would also make amusing reading on the the programmer’s CV and at any interviews when covering the work they did.